


Undiscovered Country

by Doylebaby



Category: Actor RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-11
Updated: 2013-07-11
Packaged: 2017-12-14 16:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/838906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doylebaby/pseuds/Doylebaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Bloom and his team are on the verge of a grand discovery...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> The expert advice, particularly in this first chapter was provided by the lovely siluria, thanks so much, hon!

[ ](http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Doylebaby/?action=view&current=5bcfadc8.jpg)

**Part 1**

Hugh shoved his hat on his back and pulled his kerchief from around his neck to wipe his forehead, he reached for his canteen and drank deeply from the cool liquid. The blazing heat of the Nevada desert was merciless again.

He looked over to where Professor Bloom was flat on his belly, his head and upper half of his body shoved into something that was either a hole, or the entrance to an underground cave.

Hugh grinned, Professor Bloom’s best asset was well on the outside of the hole… cave… whatever, giving him a much needed distraction from the heat. 

He licked his lips, catching Eric’s glare as he also appeared to be eyeing the delectable arse. Too bad Orlando Bloom was as straight as a die.

Not able to get any reaction to his not particularly covert attempts of making a pass at the younger man, Hugh had backed off and resorted to watching instead. Under the circumstances it was all the enjoyment he was going to get, at least today. 

Hugh hoped that they would finally find something that was worth all the trouble of surveying the surface, dusting, digging and collecting fossil plants and making casts of foot prints for the past two months. 

Having heard only last week about Professor Csokas’ discovery in Montana of a mummified dinosaur, complete with skin, muscles and internal organs, Hugh was itching to find something more than a bone shard. 

From the beginning Hugh had hoped they would discover a new dinosaur species, but right now he would be happy with any dinosaur find and he bet Bean Enterprises would be as pleased as punch to finally get something as a reward for funding the dig.

 

A triumphant yell suddenly sounded over the site and Hugh watched as Professor Bloom’s arse started to wiggle in a delicious manner as he attempted to crawl backwards out of the hole.

Professor Bloom’s team, consisting of students, volunteers and a couple of hired hands gathered around, waiting in anticipation for his words.

 

Orlando managed to free himself from his tight confinement and turned over to see the expectant faces of his team and he smiled as he climbed to his feet. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have found ourselves a dinosaur! We have a lot of work to do, but it looks good.” The professor looked around the group. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself people and we need confirmation as soon as possible, but it looks as if this is a complete skeleton in very good condition.”

A large cheer erupted from the gathered group. This was what they had been hoping for when they joined the dig; to actually be able to use their knowledge on something real. 

“Billy?” Orlando called for his assistant. “I want you to get in touch with Bean Enterprises, they should be told immediately before the press finds out.”

As soon as Billy left the Professor turned to the waiting people, looking at his most trusted team member. “Hugh? I want you and Eric to assemble a team and carefully dig out the entrance. It’s definitely an underground cave. I don’t have to tell you what to do. Safety first, that dinosaur isn’t going anywhere.”

Orlando dusted his hands off on his khaki trousers and someone handed him a canteen of water. He sipped from it gratefully before yelling, “Livvy, darling, please bring your notepad, there are some urgent messages that have to go out before tonight.”

Hugh was amazed at how Bloom could change from behaving like an enthusiastic kid who had probably just made a discovery that could change his life forever, to a business man in mere minutes. It apparently came with the job of being the one in charge of the dig. 

He gestured at Eric and a couple of others to follow him and they went to work.

### 

The next morning everyone woke from the noise of a helicopter landing. Hugh pushed back the tent flap, to see Orlando jog to the landing site where a couple of men in business suits and a few others, more casually dressed, emerged from the helicopter.

Hugh winced at the light and noise and wished he hadn’t celebrated so extravagantly the night before. He hitched up his track pants and dropped the flap again, looking over at Eric who still slept peacefully and he carefully lowered himself back on his bunk . Professor Bloom would be busy with the suits for a bit, it gave Hugh just a little more snooze time.

### 

“Fuck, Bean,” Orlando sighed, exasperated, “the entire board of directors?”

The other man shrugged. The entire board of directors was an exaggeration of course, but three members had insisted on coming along to finally see the success of the dig. “They want to know what’s happening with their money _and_ be in on the success. They also want to see the skeleton, Orlando.” 

Orlando halted abruptly. “You can’t be serious; it’s not accessible, it’s underground for heaven’s sake! We have been able to provisionally dig out and support the entrance, but I’m not going to have a bunch of idiots trample all over my dig Sean,” he said testily. 

Sean raised his eyebrows. _Your_ dig? It’s still funded with _our_ money.”

“Still my dig, and what I say goes, Bean.” Orlando said coolly. “I can answer questions and I can arrange for some photographs, but they’re not going to get down there disturbing everything.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest determinedly.

Sean shrugged. “They’re not going to like it, Orlando, but I’m sure you won’t mind explaining it to them.” He couldn’t keep the smirk from his face if his life depended on it.

“Of course,” Orlando said evenly and strode away to the party waiting in the vicinity of the cave, where Billy was trying to keep them from rushing off to the site. 

Sean followed him hastily, a scowl had replaced his smirk.

### 

“…so you see, gentlemen, as much as I want to share our discovery, at the moment it’s not safe to go down into the cave. We have to secure the entrance before we can allow anyone inside,” Orlando explained patiently. “Of course that will be after _we_ have finished our own work down there.”

One of the men in a suit stepped forward. “You don’t seem to understand, you can make all sorts of claims, while we have no way of checking it. I’m not leaving this place before you’ve shown us this dinosaur.”

Orlando lifted his chin slightly. “Well, I hope you have booked yourselves a hotel for a couple of weeks, sir, it will be some time before we’re done and you can’t stay here.” He turned on his heel and stalked towards his tent. 

 

“He can’t do that.” One of the men exclaimed. “We have a right to be here, we’re funding the dig!”

Sean sighed and shook his head, he looked after Orlando until the tent flap slapped down behind the professor then he turned back to the board members. “You’ve heard the man, you are not welcome here. That was a very smart move Hugo, to alienate Bloom. What did you think you would achieve by doing that?” 

“How do we know he’s telling the truth, maybe all he wants is more money, I-” 

“Professor Bloom is a dedicated man, he doesn’t tell lies.” Billy’s soft voice cut the other man off determinedly. “I would be careful what you are saying, sir, because your remarks can be easily misconstrued as slander.” 

Hugo puffed himself up and opened his mouth again, but this time he was cut off by Sean. “Save it, Hugo, Karl will fly you back to Vegas and then you will catch a plane home. I told you this was going to happen and I don’t want you to cause anymore problems.” He turned to the helicopter pilot. “Karl, return for me tomorrow evening.” He looked at Hugo again in disgust, before following in Orlando’s footsteps. He had some serious arse kissing to do.

### 

Orlando paced up and down in his tent trying to fight down the anger, his hands balled into fists.

He loved his job, it was his life… his passion and he hated it when people made it all about money. It made him feel dirty, it reminded him of all the times when he had to beg for funds. Some people with money thought they could demand _anything_ in return.

He paced back and forth irately when the tent flap was pushed aside. Sean came inside and put the flap back in place with exaggerated care. 

Orlando glared at him. “What the hell do you want?”

Sean held up his hands. “Now don’t get all pissed off with me, I told you they wouldn’t like it and I can’t put the blame entirely on Hugo. He just wants to keep an eye on the company money; all he wants is proof.”

Orlando stalked towards Sean and didn’t stop until they were almost nose to nose. “I didn’t _have_ to fucking let you know right away, _Sean_. I could have kept this to myself a little longer, _Sean_. I was just so happy, that I wanted to fucking share it, _Sean_. I can see now that was a very fucking bad idea, _Sean_!” 

Orlando’s voice was getting louder and louder, but Sean didn’t blink an eye, he just waited until Orlando was finished ranting.

Orlando started pacing again, meanwhile shouting his grievances in Sean’s direction. “What is it with you money hungry people? I understand protecting your investments, but I would’ve thought you’d be over the moon with the fucking news! Not come here and start accusing me of wanting even more money!” He threw his arms in the air in frustration and then looked angrily at Sean, expecting some response. 

When Sean didn’t comment but just looked at him, Orlando shrugged a little uncomfortably. “Well?” he asked belligerently.

Sean pushed himself away from the tent pole he’d been leaning against. “You’re gorgeous when you’re angry.”

Orlando’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. “W-what?”

Sean moved closer. “You heard me,” he smirked before his lips covered Orlando’s in a blazing kiss, taking Orlando’s breath away.

Stunned into passiveness, it took a minute for Orlando to get with the program, his hands twisted in Sean’s shirt, kissing him back just as fiercely before pushing him away violently. 

Sean stumbled with the force of the shove, but caught himself quickly.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Bean?” Orlando spat at him. “Do you think you can persuade me to get along with your schemes this way?”

Sean looked confused for a moment before his face turned stony. “It’s good to know what you think of me, Orlando.” Sean left the tent, leaving a miffed Orlando behind.

### 

“Did you hear that?” Hugh nodded in the direction of Orlando’s tent where the big boss was storming out at that moment.

Eric grinned. “Yeah, Bean got to him before you could obviously!”

“Did you hear the same thing I did?” Hugh asked incredulously. “Bloom practically threw him out; he is straight!” He looked in Bean’s direction, the man was in a heated discussion with Bloom’s assistant Billy and ignored the professor who stomped past them without acknowledging anyone.

Eric snorted. “Yeah, he did… for now,” he added cryptically ignoring the straight remark. “Now let’s go and get that entrance dug out further, because I want to see that dinosaur.”

Hugh narrowed his eyes at Eric’s reply but then shrugged and followed the other man. Dinosaurs. That’s what he was here for.

### 

“We’ve been able to dig out a good passage into the cave, at least enough to climb down safely,” Eric told Orlando.

Nodding Orlando looked up from studying some papers. “Excellent, we’ll get down there first thing tomorrow.” He pointed at the two men. “I want you two on the team, so no partying tonight.”

Hugh touched his chest with a wounded look. “Now would we do such a thing?”

Orlando just raised his eyebrows.

“Yeah, okay, we’ll be good,” Hugh promised with a grin.

“That’s all I’m asking,” Orlando nodded satisfied. “Now besides the two of you I want to take Ross,” Orlando looked at a skinny young man with spiky red hair who beamed at his words. “You’ll get the chance to show us what you’re worth. That’s it for now, make sure you’ve got your pack ready.”

 

Sean who had been listening in the background, waited until most people had left before approaching Orlando. “I’m coming with you.”

Without even looking up from his work, Orlando shook his head. “Not a chance, Sean, it’ll get far too crowded down there and we have no idea how stable everything is.”

Sean crossed his arms in front of his chest. “It wasn’t a suggestion, Orlando. I’m not Hugo, you’re stuck with me whether you like it or not.” Not giving Orlando a chance to respond he stalked in the direction of his temporary lodgings to get his things ready.

Orlando rubbed his eyes, trying to suppress the anger he felt bubbling up inside him. The last word hadn’t been said about this.

### 

The next morning a crowd had gathered at the cave, wanting to be as close as possible to the new find.

“We’ll try to get images up to you as soon as possible,” Orlando promised them as he put his hard hat on and strapped his pack with essentials on his back. He was about to be lowered into the cave when Sean arrived, a little out of breath but with a pack and hard hat in his hands. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Orlando hissed quietly at him. “I told you no!” 

Sean put his hat on with a flourish and put his pack on his back. “And I told you, you were not getting rid of me, Orlando. I’m going down there with you.”

Orlando clenched his fists, but he wasn’t prepared to fight it out with everyone looking on. He nodded shortly. “You better stay out of my way,” he growled before grabbing the rope and disappearing out of sight. 

Sean sighed, and waited for his turn to enter the cave. 

 

Safely setting foot on the cave floor, Orlando put his pack down, turned on the lamp on his helmet and pulled another one from his pack, illuminating his surroundings. 

“Coming down!” Eric’s voice shouted from above.

Orlando watched as the rest of his team was lowered down into the cave and finally it was Sean’s turn. 

 

Sean hated heights, he also hated confined dark spaces and he was questioning his own sanity as he was lowered deeper into the cave. When he finally had solid ground under his feet he sighed in relief. Someone turned the light on his hat on and he nodded gratefully at Hugh, who squeezed his shoulder. 

A couple of lamps were lowered into the cave as well, providing them with enough light to properly investigate their surroundings.

As Sean had expected Orlando ignored him completely. The palaeontologist sank to his knees to examine the skeleton, giving Ross instructions as to what he wanted photographed and from what direction, while Eric was sketching the skeleton roughly, details would be worked out later.

Sean took a step closer, careful not to be in anybody’s way, surprised at his own excitement at seeing a dinosaur skeleton up close. 

Orlando was working with a tape measure, motioning for Sean to hold one side of it, while Ross was photographing every angle Orlando pointed out to him.

“It’s been amazingly well preserved,” Orlando remarked while checking the skeleton’s measurements. “Almost seven feet four inches,” he said absently to Eric. “[Titanis](http://www.fossil-treasures-of-florida.com/images/terrorbird4.jpg) or Terror Bird, look at that beak and those claws.”

Hugh, who had been looking around the cave, suddenly called out from behind a large rock hiding him from view. “There’s another one over here, only…” 

Orlando’s tape measure halted mid-air. “Another skeleton?” When it stayed quiet he looked over his shoulder. “Hugh?”

“Not a skeleton, it’s… it looks as if it died only a short while ago.” Hugh’s voice sounded incredulous. 

“What?” Excitedly, Orlando climbed to his feet. “You mean like the mummified dinosaur Professor Csokas found in Montana?” 

“I don’t know,” Hugh’s voice was muffled. “It looks… well not exactly mummified, but…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Hugh,” Orlando muttered impatiently, stalking over to Hugh and disappearing around the rock as well. 

It stayed quiet for a while and Sean tried unsuccessfully to penetrate the dark corners where the lamps didn’t reach with his eyes. 

“My God!” Orlando’s voice sounded highly excited. “Ross get over here, now!”

The young photographer carefully made his way around the skeleton and went to where Professor Bloom wanted him.

Sean took off his hard hat and wiped his brow, the heat was suffocating and together with the confined space and darkness he was beginning to regret his insistence to come along. 

“Better keep your hat on, mate, you never know what might come falling down,” Eric warned him with a wink. 

The words hadn’t left his mouth entirely when a rumble sounded and the earth started to shake.

“Earthquake!” someone shouted from above.

Sean and Eric were thrown off balance and Sean was tossed against the rocks, narrowly avoiding crushing the skeleton. Eric was less lucky, he fell on top of one of the still razor sharp claws which sliced straight through his jeans and thigh as if it was butter and he cried out in pain.

“Eric? Sean?” Orlando shouted from somewhere behind them.

The tremors seemed to stop and Sean took a deep breath and sat up carefully. The lamps had been shattered by the rocks and he had lost his hat. Carefully he moved his arms and legs but besides a few bruises he was okay. Tentatively he made his way over to Eric whose hat lamp had miraculously survived and Sean noticed he was bleeding quite severely. 

“Lie still Eric, let me put something on that wound first,” he told the other man.

Eric nodded and bit his lip to avoid crying out in pain. 

“Guys? Are you okay?” Orlando called out again and they heard him move closer. 

Sean removed his pack from his back and zipped it open. “Eric has a thigh wound, this dinosaur is still lethal,” he informed Orlando and pulled a bottle of water from his pack. He was about to give Eric a sip when the earth started to shake once more, far more forcefully this time. 

“Watch out!” Orlando shouted from the other side of the cave and when Sean looked up he saw pieces of rock starting to fall. He threw himself over Eric, trying to protect the other man from the falling stones with his body.

The rocks fell mercilessly and the men below were in their way.

Sean felt a sharp pain when a rock hit his head and with a gasp he slumped over Eric as the world went dark around him.

 

“Sean!” Orlando screamed, but his voice was lost in the noise of everything collapsing in the darkness.

An eerie silence followed.

tbc 


	2. Part 2

**Part 2**

Orlando coughed and opened his eyes. He was lying on his back covered with dust and rubble and he wondered what had happened. He remembered going down into the cave to examine the skeleton they had discovered and… then it hit him.

An earthquake!

He sat up quickly and winced, his head spinning at the sudden movement. A bit more carefully, he checked himself for injuries but he couldn’t detect anything more serious then a couple of scrapes and bruises. 

Getting up on his knees Orlando peered over to where he believed he had seen Hugh and Ross last and was grateful to see Hugh, the lamp on his hat emitting a soft glow, slowly pushing himself into a seated position, waving that he was okay and Ross was busy checking his camera, which told Orlando that the young man was feeling well enough. 

Dread made his stomach churn as he turned to where Sean and Eric had been when the second series of tremors had started. The lamp on his hat was broken but the extra torch he’d taken was lying beside him, and after checking it, he discovered it still worked. Orlando immediately shone the beam in the direction where he thought Sean and Eric to be and gasped in surprise. 

A large piece of rock had broken off and fallen forward. It was now wedged between the side of the cave and the remaining rock and had shielded Sean and Eric, who were lying right below it, from falling debris.

“Guys?” It sounded a little faint. “Hugh? Orlando?” 

Orlando swiftly climbed to his feet, careful not to trip over fallen rocks. “Eric? Are you okay?” He made his way to his team member with Hugh right behind him. 

Eric was still lying beneath Sean and couldn’t move much. “My leg hurts like hell but I think I’m okay otherwise. I’m worried about Sean though, he’s not moving and he was hit on the head. Also…” His eyes moved to the rocks above him. “That doesn’t look too stable and I’d like to get away from here.”

“Ross, get over here,” Orlando called out to the young man, while he and Hugh carefully picked Sean up and moved him off of Eric and safely away from the unstable rocks. 

Hugh and Ross then lifted Eric and moved him to a relatively safe place. 

Orlando knelt down beside Sean, anxious to find out how bad his injuries were.

“Ross, see if you can find our packs, we need water and first aid equipment.” Orlando took charge. “Eric, I will check your leg in a minute, but I need to know how Sean is doing,” he assured the other man, who nodded in understanding.

As if hearing he was being talked about, Sean moaned and moved suddenly. 

Orlando placed a hand on the man’s chest to keep him down. “Sean, lie still, you were hit by a rock, we have to check you out first.”

Sean groaned and moved a hand to his head, but Orlando prevented him from touching the injury. 

“Easy Sean, you have a wound on your head and I’m going to clean it with water now,” Orlando explained as Ross handed him a bottle of water and a gauze.

Hugh was holding the torch while Orlando gently cleaned the gash on Sean’s temple, relieved that it didn’t seem too deep. He bandaged it and then checked Sean for other injuries. 

“I’m not sure whether your wrist is broken or sprained, Sean. I’ll just put it in a sling to be on the safe side. As soon as they’ve managed to get us out of here we’ll take you to hospital,” Orlando told Sean as he helped him to sit up slowly and fastened the sling around his neck. 

“That could be a while,” Hugh muttered as he looked up to where only a short while before, the entrance of the cave had been.

Orlando shrugged and helped Sean to drink from the bottle of water. “I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to get us out of here.” He looked at Sean who still hadn’t opened his eyes, even though he was drinking eagerly from the water container. 

Brushing his fingers over Sean’s cheek, Orlando encouraged him to open his eyes. “Look at me, Sean, show me those baby greens.”

Hugh snorted behind him, mumbling something about spinach, but Orlando’s attention was only on Sean.

Green eyes finally opened and Sean looked around blearily, then he squinted at Orlando in the dim light. “What-,” he coughed, then tried again, reaching out with his good arm and grabbing Orlando’s wrist. “What happened? Who are you?”

Orlando’s mouth dropped open at Sean’s words. 

“Shit,” Eric muttered, “that rock must’ve hit him harder then we thought.”

“Eric, is that you?” Sean asked a little uncertainly. 

Orlando’s eyes widened. “Yes, that’s Eric and Hugh, and Ross is here too and I’m Orlando, remember?”

“No, should I know you?” Sean shook his head, then winced as that seemed to hurt. “What happened, did I fall?” 

“You were hit by a rock, mate, during an earthquake,” Hugh explained to the confused man as Orlando seemed to have been rendered speechless by Sean’s denial of knowing him.

Orlando quietly removed himself from Sean’s side and checked Eric’s thigh. Sean had managed to clean the wound before the earthquake surprised them. 

“I think it needs stitches, Eric, there’s not much I can do but keep it clean and as sterile as possible.” Eric nodded in understanding, wincing as Orlando gently lifted his leg to wind the bandage around it. 

“Don’t worry, it’s probably temporary,” Eric said when the pain had subsided.

“What?” Orlando asked absently as he fastened the bandage with tape.

“Sean,” Eric motioned with his head at the blond who was still looking around in confusion. “I’m sure everything will come back to him soon.”

“I know,” Orlando nodded. “I’m not worried about that…”

“Liar,” Eric muttered. “I saw your face when he denied knowing you. You’re shocked and hurt, but he’s been hit by a rock, Orli. Give it time.”

With his lips pressed together, Orlando put everything back into the first aid kit, refusing to admit to himself or anyone else, that it _did_ hurt that Sean hadn’t recognised him. 

“You and Sean are injured; getting my team out of here is my first concern, Eric,” Orlando said and helped Eric into a sitting position then he pushed to his feet, his eyes narrowing when he saw Eric’s pale face. “You okay?”

Eric shook his head. Being hoisted into a sitting position had hurt quite a bit. “Hurts like a bitch.”

Orlando opened his pack and rummaged around in it before pulling out a small bottle of painkillers. “A good thing I’ve kept these. You’re not allergic to Tylenol?” he asked Eric and when the other man shook his head, he handed the pills to Eric with a bottle of water. I’ll give you two now,” he said while checking his watch, which amazingly had survived the earthquake. 

“I have to check on Sean, but I’ll be back in a bit,” Orlando reassured Eric and he got to his feet. 

Sean still seemed dazed and unable to understand where he was. He kept asking Hugh confused questions. 

“… but why am _I_ here,” he motioned at the cave. “If I’m not a… whatchemecallit?”

Hugh grinned. “A palaeontologist, mate.”

“Whatever.” Sean rubbed his head and was reminded of his injury when he felt the bandages. “Well, I don’t belong here so I’m leaving.”

He managed to get to his knees when Orlando reached him. “Sean, it’s better if you sit quietly, all that moving around isn’t doing your head any good!” he said gently.

“Aye, I noticed. I’ll go see a doctor,” and seeking support against the wall, he pushed himself slowly to his feet, which was difficult enough with the use of only one arm. Once upright he swayed unsteadily. 

Orlando rolled his eyes. “There’s nowhere to go right now, Sean. Just sit down here and have a drink of water.”

Sean turned angry green eyes on Orlando. “I just told you I don’t want to stay here! I don’t need water, I’m getting out of here and that’s final. If I have to clear it with the boss then go get him.”

Hugh laughed at that. “He’s all yours, Professor, I’ll go and see what Ross is up to.” And he wandered away. 

Orlando stood with his arms folded in front of his chest. “I’m the boss, Sean and I’m telling you to sit down and stay calm.”

Sean snorted. “Pull the other one, lad. Now my head is bloody thumping, where’s the real boss?” 

“Professor Bloom, Professor Bloom!” Ross came running towards them. 

Orlando held up his hands. “Calm down, Ross, what’s wrong?”

Sean looked from one to the other. “Professor?” he asked suspiciously. 

“Yes, Sean. Is that so hard to believe? Now go and sit down before you fall down, so I can find out what Ross is so excited about.” Orlando turned back to the red-haired young man.

“Nothing’s wrong, professor. I’ve found a way out of the cave, sir, please come with me.” Ross motioned excitedly.

Orlando looked at Sean who had finally slid down the wall beside Eric and sat looking up at him with a strange look on his face, apparently finding it hard to believe Orlando was in charge. 

“I’ll be right back, guys, with good news I hope,” Orlando told them before following Ross. 

Orlando noticed that where they had found the dinosaur that looked as if it had died recently, some sort of tunnel had appeared. He had no idea whether it had been there before and they had just missed it in all the excitement, or whether the earthquake had anything to do with it.  
Orlando went down on his knees and started to crawl through the tunnel, and a thin ray of light became visible when he was half way through; on the other side he was helped up by Hugh. 

“Look at this,” Hugh waved at the green grass. “No desert, no heat… We’re not in Kansas anymore, or rather Nevada,” he remarked with a grimace. 

“I don’t understand.” Orlando frowned and he looked around at the totally different environment: grass, trees, he even saw a lake not too far away. “How is this possible?” Then he visibly shook off his confusion. “We’ll get into that later. We’ll have to find a way to get Eric out of the cave, it’s safer out here, but it’s going to be difficult getting him through the tunnel.”

Hugh nodded, his admiration for Bloom growing as the man took charge in this strange situation. 

 

It turned out to be a lot more difficult to get Sean out of the cave though. The man already suffered from a form of claustrophobia, but in his current state it seemed to have worsened. It took a lot of coaxing and encouraging to get Sean to crawl through the tunnel, and he crumpled into a heap when he was finally out. 

Eric’s problem was that he couldn’t crawl. His thigh wound was too severe to put any pressure on the leg. With help from Hugh and Ross, he did get out of the cave, but if there was another way back they would gladly take it. 

Orlando had stayed with Sean, even though he felt guilty for not helping out with Eric, but _this_ Sean, seemed so lost and so different from the normally self-assured man, he needed to make sure he was okay. 

“Sean? How are you feeling?” he asked handing the other man the water bottle. 

“Why do you ask, boss?” Sean countered a little aggressively. “Thinking of firing me once we’re out of here?”

Orlando shook his head and reached out to touch the nervous man, but Sean flinched away from him. “You really don’t remember, do you? Just bits and pieces. I’m the one in charge on the site, and consequently of this little expedition, but you’re not one of my team, Sean. Your company funds the dig and since this is… _was_ our first important find, you insisted coming down with us.”

Sean looked at Orlando with a disbelieving look on his face. “You’re joking!” he finally muttered, then he rubbed his forehead. “Why can’t I remember?”

“You’ve had a nasty bump on the head, Sean. I’m sure things will come back to you soon.” Orlando tried to reassure him.

“What? Are you a doctor now too?” 

Orlando sighed and pushed to his feet. “No, I’m not, I just hope you will be alright soon. Now I have to go see if Eric is okay.” 

 

Daylight was slowly fading and although Orlando couldn’t wait to explore this new territory, he realised they had to wait until morning. 

Without the necessary equipment they couldn’t set up a proper camp and a few biscuits from each pack was the best they could do for dinner. 

Luckily the temperature was mild which made sleeping a little less uncomfortable. 

Orlando lay down close to Sean, unsure why he felt responsible for the man’s condition. He closed his eyes, deciding tomorrow was another day and maybe Sean would be back to normal again.

~ * ~ 

Hugh woke at dawn as the earth started to tremble and he rolled onto his back. God, not again! A good thing Orlando had insisted they leave the cave in case of another earthquake.

Someone shook his shoulder. 

“Hugh wake up!” Orlando’s voice sounded… shocked, scared? Another shake, more violent this time. “Hugh, for God’s sake wake up!” 

Hugh opened his eyes and turned to Orlando. “I know, another earthquake and you’re glad-” He fell silent as something moved through his peripheral vision and slowly he turned his head and then looked up… and up… and…

Hugh thought it was a good thing he was lying down already. Until he had to scramble out of the way because he was about to be squashed by a huge leg. 

Orlando and Ross were dragging Eric to safety and Sean had managed to get up by himself, but he was still too sleepy and disoriented and walked straight into the herd…

Orlando shouted in terror, squeezing his eyes shut, not wanting to see Sean get trampled to death. 

The huge animals somehow navigated around Sean, or maybe it was lucky coincidence, because when the last one passed, Sean was still in one piece. 

When he finally got his bearings straight he stumbled toward Orlando and the others. Leaning over, he waited until his breathing was somewhat back to normal. “What the hell was that?” he asked in a trembling voice.

Orlando’s eyes were still on the animals that had now reached the lake and were walking sedately into the water, while making a noise that sounded like an elephant’s trumpeting but much deeper. 

“He was right. They _do_ move in herds,” he whispered reverently.

“Orlando?” Sean shook his arm to get his attention. “What are they?” 

Orlando turned to Sean, a happy smile gracing his face. “They are Brachiosaurus, Sean, one of the biggest land dinosaurs that ever lived…” Then he motioned with his arm in the direction of the large creatures. “Lives… apparently.”

The others were silent for a while, taking in what they had just seen, what they were still seeing. 

Hugh pushed his hair out of his eyes and he looked troubled. 

“Don’t you think it’s exciting?” Ross asked him as he noticed Hugh’s gloomy face.

Hugh nodded. “Yeah, very exciting, but that’s just a plant eater, I wonder what kind of predators are around.”

As if to illustrate Hugh’s notion a mighty roar sounded in the distance, and then again, a lot closer…

tbc


	3. Chapter Three

**Part 3**

_As if to illustrate Hugh’s notion a mighty roar sounded in the distance, and then again, a lot closer…_

 

Looking around uncomfortably, the five men slowly started to realize the seriousness of the situation they found themselves in. 

Another roar sounded, this time a little further away, and Orlando gladly admitted that he didn’t mind postponing an encounter with a carnivorous predator. 

“What do you think that was?” Eric gasped, his face twisted in pain. The way they had dragged him out of danger earlier had jarred his leg and the wound had started to bleed again. 

They all looked at Orlando, expecting him to provide them with an answer. 

Orlando shrugged and grabbed his pack to get the First Aid kit out again. “I have no idea, guys. In the cave we found a skeleton and, as I now assume, a Titanis Walleri that recently passed away. We also have Brachiosaur splashing around happily in the lake over there. Those two didn’t live in the same period. Titanis Walleri lived in middle Palaeocene and early Pleistocene, Brachiosaur lived in late Jurassic and early Cretaceous…”

He started to redress Eric’s leg, his brow creased in concern; whether it was because of Eric’s condition, or their circumstances, wasn’t clear. 

“And?” Sean asked when it didn’t look like Orlando was going to continue. 

“It means, I don’t know what to expect. Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, Velociraptor, Spinosaurus? If that lake is connected to a sea somewhere maybe even a Megalodon… The actual periods in which they lived don’t seem to matter here.”

Orlando’s quiet listing of some of ancient earth’s major predators and the chance of coming face to face with one or more of them, made them all lapse into a tense silence.

 

When he’d finished bandaging Eric’s leg, Orlando looked around him. It excited him to be in this position, on the other hand, it _did_ scare the shit out of him too. 

“It’s just like Jurassic Park,” Ross grinned, his smile disappearing at the dark looks that were cast his way. 

Orlando was the only one who chuckled. “At least the movie provided us with some very important information.”

“Like what?” Hugh scowled.

“We now know Velociraptors can open doors… a good thing we don’t have doors here.”

For a few seconds everyone looked at Orlando as if he’d gone completely bonkers, then they fell over laughing, exactly as Orlando had intended. 

It didn’t last long. Sean grabbed his head and moaned in agony.

“Sean?” Orlando was on his feet immediately. 

“Me head was pounding earlier, but now it’s splitting in two,” Sean gasped. 

“Lie down for a bit,” Orlando suggested. He reached for the last bottle of water and pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket, wetting it, he then put it on Sean’s forehead, hoping it would help. 

He moved away with a worried look on his face, which only Hugh noticed. Orlando grabbed his pack and pulled the bottle of painkillers out, just as Hugh dropped down beside him.

“Talk to me Orlando,” Hugh murmured, not wanting to alert the others.

“I haven’t got many painkillers left and I believe Eric may need them more then Sean does. We’re almost out of water too. I need to check the water in the lake. I saw the Brachiosaurus drink from it, so it’s not sea water. We need to refill our bottles.” He handed Hugh the bottle of painkillers and started to put the empty water bottles into his pack.

“You’ll have to keep an eye on them, Hugh,” Orlando told the other man. “Give Eric two of those if he needs them.” He nodded at the bottle in Hugh’s hand.

“I’m not going to let you go out there on your own!” Hugh hissed. “It’s too dangerous, Orlando!” 

Ross and Eric looked over at them, but thankfully didn’t ask what was going on.

Orlando sighed. “I’m well aware of that, Hugh, but we _need_ water. I also need someone with his head screwed on right to keep an eye on things here. If there is danger Eric and Sean need to be helped to safety. I’m not prepared to give Ross that responsibility. He’s a very nice, sensible kid, but still a kid.”

“Then take Ross with you, you need someone to guard your back,” Hugh insisted.

Orlando shook his head as he stood and shouldered his pack. “You won’t be able to move Eric by yourself, Hugh, not with Sean in his current condition. You need Ross here.”

Hugh knew when he had lost and with a grumble he nodded. “Just be careful.”

“I will,” Orlando smiled at Hugh’s concern. “Stuff ‘em in the tunnel if necessary, Hugh, I want us _all_ to return home.” 

“Thanks,” Hugh muttered. “I think I just drew the short straw.”

Orlando grabbed Hugh’s arm. “Keep an eye on Sean, please Hugh. He’s… vulnerable, not himself.” He looked over at Sean who seemed to have dozed off. “I worry about him, and Eric-”

“Don’t!” Hugh warned him. “You need your wits about you, Orlando. This is a dangerous place, you can’t afford to be distracted. I can handle this.”

Orlando sighed. “I know, and I trust you or you wouldn’t have been here with me, but this situation is unique, don’t underestimate it.”

They looked at each other and grinned as they realized they were trying to convince each other of the dangers lurking in not just the shadows, but everywhere around them. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Orlando promised and with a final nod at Hugh, he turned away to wave at Eric and Ross and then he knelt briefly at Sean’s side. With his back to the others he stroked Sean’s cheek. 

“Get back to being your old self soon, Sean, I miss you,” he whispered before standing up, ready to go. 

With a last wave to the others, Orlando set off for the lake, only a little further than the distance from the cave entrance to Orlando’s tent back at base, but with far more dangers lying ahead.

&&&

Orlando noticed he was holding his breath when his chest started to hurt. He was a lot more tense then he had expected. Visions of something lying in wait behind every tree or in the bushes made him tread extremely carefully.

What he really wanted was to enjoy the view of the brachiosaurus herd in the lake, but he couldn’t let his guard down... 

  
[](http://s21.photobucket.com/albums/b261/Doylebaby/?action=view&current=5749ddc8.jpg)   


The huge animals were so graceful despite their size, it took Orlando’s breath away. 

He checked his surroundings, everything seemed safe and he crouched down, making himself as small as possible. He hoped that he would be overlooked by any predators this way and allowed himself some time to just enjoy watching the herd. 

Other, slightly smaller dinosaurs, were also using the lake to bathe and drink. Their behaviour suggested that no carnivorous dinosaurs were about and Orlando relaxed slightly, moving slowly towards the lake.

He recognised Iguanodon and Parasaurolophus, drinking side by side and Orlando was amazed by the peacefulness the whole scene radiated. 

He forgot everything around him and just watched the huge animals in wonder.

The undergrowth on the other side of the lake rustled and out came a very small species of dinosaur and Orlando furrowed his brow in thought. The animal had small bony shields and he was pretty sure it was of the family of Stegosaurus, but the name escaped him right now. 

How he wished he had brought Ross’s camera.

The thought of Ross reminded him why he was there. He needed to fill the water bottles.

Mindful of the large dinosaurs grazing along the lakeside, Orlando moved towards the water. It was clear and looked inviting. Knowing he had to be certain, Orlando scooped water into his hands and tasted it. He didn’t think he had tasted anything as good in a long while. He scooped up more water and splashed it in his face. Then he opened his pack and filled the bottles with water as quickly as possible. 

Suddenly Orlando received a massive push and he shot forward, landing sprawled on his belly in the lake. 

Startled Orlando looked over his shoulder and laughed in relief when he saw a young Iguanodon chasing its tail and it had apparently bowled him over in the process.

He pushed himself up, grimacing at his wet clothes, and gathered the filled bottles, quickly stuffing them in his pack. He had been gone for quite some time and he hoped the others weren’t worrying too much.

&&&

Agitated, Hugh paced up and down, casting looks towards the part of the lake he could see, although it was too far for him to distinguish anything but the brachiosaurus herd.

“It’s taking far too long,” he muttered to himself. “He’s been gone for nearly an hour now. I’m not going to wait any longer!”

He stalked over to where Eric was resting. When he drew closer he noticed his friend looked flushed and seemed to be breathing a little fast. He feared Eric was developing a fever. 

“Ross?” He looked around for the red-haired young man and noticed he was standing on a rock formation taking photographs of the landscape, the lake and the herd of brachiosaurs.

“Any sign of Orlando?” Hugh yelled at Ross.

The young man looked down at him and shook his head. “Nothing, but there are a lot of bushes and I suppose he is being careful and keeping away from open spaces.”

Hugh understood that, it made sense, Orlando wouldn’t take any risks, but just a sign that he was alright would have helped. “Ross, get down here,” he ordered the young man.

He turned round and was scared out of a few years when Sean stood right behind him. 

“Where’s Orlando?” Sean asked a little belligerently. 

Hugh frowned, there was something different about the other man. “Sean? Are you… back with us?”

Sean huffed. “What’re you talking about? Where’s Orlando?” 

Yep, Sean was definitely back to his old bad-tempered self, Hugh thought, not knowing whether he should be relieved or not. 

“He went to fill the bottles, we were out of water, but he’s been gone too long.” 

Ross had jumped down and joined them and was therefore witness to Sean’s outburst.

“You let him go all by himself? Here, with all these predators about?” Sean shouted at Hugh.

Hugh barely managed to keep a rein on his temper, knowing Sean was only worried about Orlando, just like he was. “We had no choice, Sean. You were out for the count and neither, Ross nor I can move Eric on our own if there was any danger, so we both had to stay here.”

He patted the other man’s shoulder. “Orlando is not stupid, but just to be sure, Ross and I will go out to meet him halfway, he should be on his way back from the lake by now. We will move you and Eric into the tunnel and I trust you to keep an eye on Eric.”

Sean shrugged Hugh’s hand off. “Like hell I will. The boy can stay with Eric, I’m coming with you!”

Hugh decided arguing was counterproductive and just nodded. “Let’s go then.” He pulled the bottle of painkillers from his jacket and fed two of them to Eric with the last bit of water, then the three of them gently moved the injured man into the tunnel. 

Next he pulled two knives from his backpack, strapping one around his thigh, he handed the other to Ross. “Just in case. It’s not much of a defence, but it’s better than nothing.”

Ross, understanding the seriousness of the situation, accepted the knife and then started to gather their things, putting everything in the tunnel so they wouldn’t attract any unwanted attention. 

Hugh turned to Sean. “Let’s go and find Orlando.”

Sean, his mouth a thin line, nodded and together the two men left.

&&&

On his way back, Orlando suddenly noticed a beautiful flower between the ferns that he hadn’t noticed before. It had a dark orange heart and bright yellow leaves, getting lighter in shade towards the tip. It reminded him of present day orchids, but the colours were so much brighter.

He knew Leah, their paleobotanist, would be over the moon with a sample. Orlando looked around and in the shadow of a large conifer he noticed a lot more flowers, some of them as large as a football. Picking one would not be harmful to the environment.

Lowering his pack to the ground, Orlando retrieved his gloves, a small cutter and a bag to hold the sample. 

After putting his gloves on, Orlando took hold of the flower and just as he was about to cut the bloom, something that looked like a red garden hose appeared out of nowhere, and with the speed of a whip, it curled around his wrist. 

Orlando immediately tried to pull himself free but within seconds he realized it was a futile exercise. There was a tug on his wrist and next he was yanked forward, dragged on his belly with lightning speed toward the biggest of the flowers.

To his horror he saw the leaves part and below the orange heart a gaping hole appeared; the slimy threads dangling from the edges made it all too clear what it was.

He lashed out with his other hand in which he still held the cutter but almost sliced into his trapped hand. When he tried again the cutter slipped from his grasp. Frantically Orlando’s fingers clawed the earth for the cutter but it was out of reach. 

Sweat stung his eyes and Orlando searched for something, anything, that could help him get free from the tongue holding on to him tightly.

There was nothing.

Orlando couldn’t free himself and he was being pulled quickly towards the gaping mouth, waiting to devour him. 

“Bloom,” he muttered to himself. “Now would be a good time to wake up.”

tbc


	4. Chapter Four

**Part 4**

Sean was grumbling, walking a few paces behind Hugh, watching the other man take long strides, but in the meantime his keen eyes never missed anything.

Hugh was the best man in a situation like this, Sean realized that, but he still didn’t like him much. 

It hadn’t skipped his attention that Hugh was interested in Orlando, and Orlando was _his_ dammit! Even if he hadn’t informed Orlando of this… yet. He was going to, as soon as they found him.

“Sean! Must go faster,” Hugh chuckled as he looked over his shoulder. 

“Wanker!” Sean shouted, more amused than annoyed if he was honest.

“Not if I can find someone to do it for me!” Hugh yelled back and then he disappeared.

Sean stopped and listened. “Hugh?” he called out, taking a step forward. Then he was grabbed and hauled through the shrubbery, landing on his back with Hugh almost on top of him.

“Hugh, what the fuck-” he gasped before a large hand settled over his mouth.

“Don’t. Make. A. Sound.” Hugh kept his hand covering Sean’s mouth until he received a nod, then he took it away, staying crouched down low. 

Sean looked at Hugh who just pointed and Sean slowly turned his head to discover that a huge bird-like creature was standing not more than ten feet away from them. 

The animal looked quite harmless, but Sean noticed the razor sharp claws on his feet and realized it looked just like the skeleton that they had found in the cave and that had injured Eric so severely.

These claws could turn them to shreds in mere minutes! 

“Titanis Walleri,” Hugh murmured. “Orlando is going to be so pissed off that he missed it.”

Sean shook his head, Hugh was probably right, but they had other things to concern themselves with. Like, where the hell _was_ Orlando?

The Titanis walked slowly past them, hesitating as if it wasn’t certain if it should go on. Sean hoped it would hurry up so they could continue their search for Orlando.

Completely unexpected, an enormous animal burst through the ferns with a mighty roar, across from where Hugh and Sean were hiding. The Titanis didn’t stand a chance. It was grabbed in a gigantic mouth and shaken as if it was a chicken and not an eight feet tall predator. 

Sean turned away, cringing at the crunching sounds the large predator was making, feeling just a little sick.

“Is that what I think it is?” he whispered to Hugh. 

“Tyrannosaurus Rex,” Hugh breathed in confirmation, slowly crawling backwards and motioning for Sean to do the same. 

They needed to get out of there!

As unobtrusively as possible, they retreated while the Tyrannosaurus was distracted with his breakfast, or maybe it was just a snack for him. Sean really didn’t want to know. 

When the two men felt they had put a safe distance between themselves and the Tyrannosaurus, they collapsed to the ground.

“That was too close for comfort!” Hugh wiped his sweaty face with the bottom of his t-shirt, showing off his washboard abs. 

Orlando would like that, Sean thought and wondered why he was thinking of something as stupid as Hugh’s body when they had just escaped a vicious predator. He shook his head and winced as the pounding started again. 

“How come we didn’t hear that beast getting close?” he wanted to know.

Hugh shrugged. “I can think of only one thing… He was already there before we were.”

Sean paled at this. “Shite! And he let us pass?” 

“Maybe he didn’t fancy us, but wanted something a bit more substantial.” 

Sean shuddered, not wanting to be reminded of what he’d just witnessed.

“Shit!”

Hugh’s outcry startled Sean and he rolled over to check on the other man. “What is it?”

“Look over there,” Hugh pointed ahead and something brightly coloured attracted Sean’s attention. He couldn’t quite make out what it was though.

Hugh must have noticed his confusion and said, “It’s Orlando’s backpack!” 

Sean was on his feet immediately, ready to run over, but Hugh grabbed him by the wrist.

“What the hell are you doing,” he hissed. “You can’t go bolting over there.” Hugh motioned with his head. “What if that T-Rex has finished his meal…”

Sean growled in frustration but had to admit Hugh was right, they had to be careful.

Slowly, checking their surroundings continuously, they made there way over to where Orlando’s backpack lay abandoned. 

Hugh grabbed it and checked the contents. “The water bottles are here and filled, so he made it to the lake.” He looked around and his eyes narrowed when his experienced eye discovered unusual tracks. “It looks like something was dragged… and it didn’t go quietly!” He crouched down to investigate the marks more closely and sucked in his breath as he realized what he was looking at. “Look, foot prints. That’s Orlando!” Hugh jumped to his feet, throwing all caution in the wind now that it seemed Orlando was in danger. 

“Orlando!” 

Staying quiet was the last thing on the two men’s mind right now. They followed the track, looking around for anything that could lead them to Orlando. 

“Orlando!” Sean yelled again.

This time they got an answer. 

“Guys, over here! Hurry, please!” 

Orlando’s voice sounded a little muffled and Hugh and Sean started running. What they encountered made them halt mid-stride and just stare.

No wonder Orlando’s voice sounded muted. Sean wanted to rub his eyes and blink, because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

Orlando’s upper body was inside a huge flower and only his arse and legs were still sticking out.

Something inside Sean snapped. “Orlando! What the fuck are you playing at? We’re worried sick and you are cavorting around, playing with flowers?” 

“Sean…” Orlando’s voice sounded terse and now his arse was disappearing inside the flower as well. “I AM NOT IN HERE BY CHOICE!!!”

Hugh, who had been walking around Orlando and the flower, pulled his knife out of its sheath at Orlando’s last, shouted words and, roaring loudly, he hacked through the stem of the biggest flower that held Orlando and both the flower and Orlando dropped to the ground.

They hurriedly pulled the flower leaves apart and it revealed a dishevelled Orlando, covered in slime and with suction marks on his chin, cheeks, throat and forehead. 

Orlando wiped damp, sticky curls out of his eyes and then, with a disgusted face he removed something reddish that was wrapped tightly around his wrist. It flopped to the ground with a squelching sound, bounced a little and then went still.

“What was _that_?” Hugh asked as he poked the thing with his foot. 

“I think it was that flower’s tongue.” Orlando shuddered and tried to remove the slimy substance from his face and shirt. “Yuk, this stuff stinks!” 

Sean knelt down beside Orlando and without taking any notice of the smelly, gooey slime he framed Orlando’s face between his hands and made the other man stop what he was doing in surprise. 

“I almost lost you,” Sean started. “And I would not have been able to tell you how much I care about you…” 

Orlando looked stunned. “You’re back!” Then he cocked his head still held between Sean’s hands, a worried look crossing his face. “Are you? Back to your old self I mean?”

Sean pulled back, shaking his head in confusion. “Hugh said something similar… I didn’t go anywhere. Is that all you can say?” He looked miffed at Orlando’s reaction.

Orlando glanced at Hugh who shrugged and then motioned behind them. “I’m going to get your backpack.”

Orlando just nodded and turned his attention back to Sean and he touched Sean’s hand. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I’ve been so worried about you. I care a lot about you too.”

They sat in an uneasy silence until Hugh returned. He handed Orlando a bottle with water so he could remove some of the vile stuff from his face and dug in Orlando’s pack for the First Aid kit. “Your wrist needs to be bandaged, it looks burned and it’s blistered,” Hugh remarked. “Who knows what’s in that thing’s saliva.” 

Orlando’s wrist, where the tongue had grabbed him, was red and swollen and even though it would be a bit of a nuisance, it was better not to take any risks until he could have it checked properly, the flower could have been poisonous. 

“Better take that flower with us,” Orlando said and Sean took the necessary things out of Orlando’s backpack to bag the dangerous species, while Hugh bandaged the younger man’s wrist.

As Hugh and Orlando packed the flower, Sean looked around, he’d briefly forgotten where he was. “We should get back to Eric and Ross, what if that T-Rex has found them?”

“T-Rex?” Orlando looked up in alarm. 

Sean grimaced, not really wanting to be reminded of what had happened earlier. 

“Yeah, you missed Titanis Walleri and Tyrannosaurus Rex, the second made a meal out of the first right in front of us,” Hugh said while putting everything away in Orlando’s backpack. “Sean’s right, we’ve been away for far too long and Eric was developing a fever so we really need to head back.” 

“Let’s go then, this place harbours dangers no one expects,” Orlando said, shouldering his backpack. 

Extremely cautiously, they made their way back to the cave and to Sean’s relief they didn’t encounter any dangerous predators. They had to stop briefly to let a herd of Parasaurolophus pass through on their way to the lake. 

Despite his anxiousness to return to the other team members, Orlando had a blissful smile on his face when the animals came within touching distance. He reached out and let his fingers play across the side of a large male, who did not mind, or maybe didn’t even notice the feather light touches. Becoming a little bolder Orlando patted its side and the animal let out a snort, startling all three of them, but when that was all that happened, they smiled a little sheepish at each other. 

This world was slightly nerve-wracking.

When they arrived back at the cave, everything looked quiet and peaceful… A little too quiet and peaceful.

“Eric? Ross?” Orlando called out.

A quiet moan sounded from within the tunnel, and he crawled inside where he found Eric, feverish and restlessly tossing his head. Orlando couldn’t do much, but give the injured man a sip of water to drink and try to cool him down with the rest of it.

“Orlando?” Hugh called from outside.

“I’ll be right there!” Orlando replied; he made Eric as comfortable as possible and after assuring him he would be back soon he crawled back out.

“What is it?” he panted.

“It’s Ross,” Hugh said gravely, his eyes on the young man’s camera lying just beside the entrance to the tunnel. “He’s gone.”

tbc


	5. Chapter Five

****

Part 5

Sean sat with his back against the rock formation beside the entrance to the tunnel where he could hear Eric if he needed them, and held his throbbing head. He watched Hugh and Orlando who were caught up in a heated discussion.

Sean had no problems guessing what it was about: Ross was missing and they had to decide who was going to look for him. His bet was that Orlando thought it was his job, his responsibility to go and look for his missing team member, while Hugh probably urged him to stay put and look after Eric while _he_ would go out looking for Ross. 

He didn’t give an ounce for Hugh’s chances. 

Sean wasn’t far off, but he hadn’t counted on Hugh’s persuasiveness and the fact that the man didn’t play fair. 

“Will you listen to me for a minute?” Hugh said in a low voice. “Look at Sean.”

Orlando looked discreetly over his shoulder and he frowned at Sean’s posture. “He looks tired and I think his head is acting up again. But what does that have to do with me going out to find Ross?”

Hugh rolled his eyes. “The guy doesn’t like me much and he is not going to listen to what _I_ say, Orlando, or let me look after him if he should need it.”

Orlando crossed his arms in front of his chest and scowled at his most trusted team member. “How did that happen, Hugh? Did something occur while I was out getting us water, or later when you two were out looking for me?”

Hugh sighed and turned away from Orlando, his eyes on the brachiosaurus in the lake, an image that would be forever on his mind, because they were so much more graceful then he had expected from such a colossal creature. 

“Hugh?” Orlando was waiting for an answer.

“He knows,” Hugh muttered.

Exasperated Orlando grabbed Hugh’s upper arm and pulled him around until the other man faced him reluctantly. “It’s like pulling teeth. What do you think Sean knows?” 

“Sean knows how I feel about you, alright? That’s what! Now you’re going to stay here and I’m going to search for Ross.”

Hugh stalked away leaving a baffled Orlando behind.

Orlando was about to ask Sean what the hell Hugh was talking about when he heard Hugh’s angry voice shouting.

“You fool! How irresponsible can you be? Going out on your own with a T-Rex and god knows what other predators roaming around, is damned stupid!”

He couldn’t hear what the reply was, but Hugh wasn’t making a secret of his feelings. “I don’t care if you were hungry, you were supposed to look after an injured team mate.” 

Orlando decided enough was enough. They were all on edge and Hugh more so apparently, but Ross was now taking the brunt of his frustration.

“That’s quite enough, Hugh. I think Ross got the message.” Orlando looked at the shamefaced young man, who just nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Ross murmured. “I saw a couple of small dinosaurs and they were carrying these yellow berries. I thought it might be good food,” he shrugged. “I wanted to surprise you.” 

“I appreciate the thought, Ross, but this place isn’t your average park. If it’s not absolutely necessary, we don’t go out on our own, okay?” Orlando said firmly, knowing he had to show he was still in charge.

“Yes Professor, I’m sorry,” Ross said dutifully. 

Orlando reached out to Ross and gently pushed him towards Sean. “Apology accepted, now we’re very hungry, let’s taste these berries.”

Sensing the Professor wasn’t too upset with him, Ross proudly showed his berries to Sean.

Orlando didn’t follow him however, but seized Hugh’s arm, pulling him away from the others. “That was uncalled for, Hugh. I know the kid made a mistake, but you didn’t have to be so hard on him.”

Hugh rubbed his forehead. “I know, but I’m sure you don’t fancy telling his parents if something had happened to him? Well, neither do I. A mistake like that could be deadly in this place.”

Orlando had to admit Hugh was right, but he still felt there was more going on than just Ross being careless. “What’s really wrong Hugh?” 

They had walked away from the others to the other side of the cave where a trail of berries showed where Ross had been.

“Do you really need it spelled out for you?” Hugh asked, and with that he pulled Orlando into his arms and kissed him fiercely until Orlando pushed Hugh away.

“What the fuck, Hugh?” he asked, bewildered and a little angry. 

“I care for you in the same way Sean does, that’s what’s causing the animosity between us, but I don’t stand a chance, do I?” There was not much hope in Hugh’s voice.

Orlando ruffled his hair until it stood out in all directions. “Shit mate, you have lousy timing, do you know that?” 

“Yeah, I know.” Hugh shrugged. “Blame Sean.” 

A little chuckle, then Orlando shook his head. “Sorry Hugh, but as you have guessed it’s Sean. I guess it has been for a long time without me realising it.”

Hugh waved Orlando’s words away. “No need to explain. Now let’s get back to them before-”

There was a very loud bang that seemed to rock the earth and immediately roars of distraught dinosaurs sounded all around them.

“…something else happens,” Hugh finished his sentence before he started to run back to the others, Orlando hot on his heels. 

Looking in the direction of the lake, Orlando noticed the herds that had been grazing there were scattering and running in all directions, one of them… theirs!

“Guys, into the tunnel now!” he shouted at Sean and Ross. 

Ross started to gather their things but Orlando grabbed his arm. “No time for that, go on, we have to get back to the cave to be safe.”

Orlando’s backpack with the flower sample, and Ross’s camera with all the dinosaur photographs were both left behind as the men sought a safe place from whatever it was that caused the dinosaurs to stampede.

Eric was picked up very carefully and carried back into the cave; they all made it out of the tunnel just as the earth started to shake again. 

Another earthquake!

All of a sudden Orlando’s vision started to blur and his knees buckled, he grabbed hold of Sean who knelt beside him. 

“Orlando? Are you okay? Orlandoooooo!!!”

Sean’s voice turned into a really loud, weird echo before Orlando’s world turned dark.

&&&

Orlando opened his eyes and almost immediately realised he was in hospital. The cold harsh lights above his head said as much and the IV in his right arm gave the game away too.

He turned his head and found he wasn’t alone in the room. In the other bed was Sean, deeply asleep, a small band aid on his temple the only reminder of his head injury. 

Orlando was about to slip out of bed to check how Sean was doing, when the door opened and Hugh walked in.

“You’re awake,” the other man smiled.

“Yeah, just a few minutes ago,” Orlando replied, and then he frowned. “We’re back I see. How are you and Ross? Is Eric okay, did they get him out without further injury?”

Hugh held up his hand and pulled a chair over to Orlando’s bed. “We’re all fine. Ross and I got a clean bill of health and were allowed to leave the hospital the same day. Eric’s wound has been cleaned and stitched and he’s on antibiotics against the infection, he will have to stay for at least a week.”

Orlando shifted in the bed. “Don’t know why they’ve kept me here, because I was out a little longer then the rest of you?” he muttered.

“I think because you must have had some sort of reaction to that flower. Your arm was very swollen and I don’t think they wanted to take any risks. You’ve been here for three days, Orlando,” Hugh explained patiently.

Orlando looked at Hugh in shock, and then at his left arm which was bandaged. It didn’t look any different than before. “Three days? Are you sure? What about Sean? Is he okay?”

Hugh chuckled. “Sean is only here because he refused to leave you and if he wasn’t allowed to stay he was going to camp in the middle of the entrance hall… He’s asleep now because he’s been awake for two nights in a row, afraid you weren’t going to make it.”

“Shit,” Orlando exclaimed. “I had no idea…”

Hugh stood, putting the chair back in its place. “He really loves you, Orlando, don’t doubt it even if he has a lousy way of expressing himself.”

Orlando grinned at the accuracy of that statement. “I think we both need lessons in communication… at least where our feelings are concerned.” He reached out to the other man. “Thanks Hugh… for understanding.”

Hugh clasped Orlando’s hand. “Haven’t got much choice, have I, but he’d better treat you well.” Then he winked and left the room quickly.

 

Orlando stared at the closed door long after Hugh had left. It seemed Hugh’s feelings were as strong as before. Then he turned to look at Sean and his face softened. The amnesic Sean had been a totally different Sean, but Orlando had come to love that vulnerable side of the man, and knew that deep down it was also a part of the grumpy Sean that was usually shown to the world. 

He sat up in the bed and threw the covers off, and then he carefully stood, grimacing at the immediate draught on his backside due to those wonderfully airy hospital gowns. Slowly he pushed his IV around his bed and then to the other side of Sean’s bed. 

Without waking Sean up, Orlando climbed into the bed, struggling with his IV line and trying to get comfortable without strangling himself, he snuggled up against Sean’s back. It wasn’t exactly how he’d pictured their first time in bed together but it would do for now. He closed his eyes, hoping his arse was covered properly.

When Orlando’s eyes opened again, an arm was holding him exactly there where his gown had a gap and fingers were gently stroking his bum and a voice muttered. “‘Bout time you woke up.”

Orlando smiled and stretched. “Feels good waking up like this.”

“What? Squashed together in a too small hospital bed, with me feeling you up?” There was laughter in Sean’s voice.

Orlando opened his eyes and looked into twinkling green ones. “Waking up in your arms, at last… It took us long enough to get our act together.” 

“Aye, a couple of dinosaurs and a greedy flower to be exact,” Sean agreed, then his face sobered. “Either of us could have been killed there or in the earthquake, we’ve been stubborn fools.”

“Not anymore,” Orlando said determinedly and kissed Sean making sure there was no doubt whatsoever about his feelings.

The End


End file.
